India have withdrawn their threat to quit the tour of Australia if an appeal against Harbhajan Singh's ban fails.

The spinner was suspended for three games for allegedly making a racist comment to Australian Andrew Symonds in the second Test in Sydney.

Harbhajan has denied making the comment and the appeal is due to take place before the third Test on 16 January.

"There's no question of it being called off," India cricket board president Sharad Pawar was quoted as saying.

BCCI board spokesman Rajiv Shukla quoted Pawar and said: "He (Pawar) said the two boards intend to maintain good relations as there is no problem with the two."

India suspended their tour on Monday after Harbhajan was banned for three Tests following a hearing into the incident.

The tourists were outraged that Harbhajan was punished, claiming the spinner did not racially abuse Symonds and that the verdict was based on hearsay.

In a statement issued after the decision, the Board of Control for Cricket in India called the ban "totally uncalled for, unjustified and patently illegal" and said it would "take all possible steps... to get the player cleared of the obnoxious and baseless accusation".